“I think that Black Fret is doing something extremely important by creating a new structure by which musicians can support their careers,” said Dana Falconberry. “As an Austin musician myself, I see this kind of thinking as crucial right now. I am honored and very excited about receiving a nomination, and I’m very much looking forward to the year ahead with Black Fret!”

“This year’s group of nominees is once again indicative of the incredible talent that calls Austin home,” said Colin Kendrick, Black Fret Founder. “Thanks to the generosity of Black Fret’s members we increased the grants awarded at our annual Black Ball gala last year by $50,000. With the support of Austin’s music fans we will continue to grow our support of Austin’s amazing musicians.”

“Being a Black Fret nominee is the highest local honor for a band like ours,” said Daniel Eyes. “What they’re doing is so fundamentally important and founded upon the principles of passion and bringing value to artists which makes it that much sweeter. It’s the ultimate validation that were doing something right and we can’t wait for the year to unfold.”

To date, Black Fret has awarded $280,000 in grants to Austin musicians and the organization plans to significantly grow its grant-giving program in 2016. Founded in January of 2013, Black Fret is a 501(c)3 public charity headquartered in Austin, Texas and is built upon the simple principle that popular local music, like the symphony and opera, is worthy of community support. To that end, Black Fret is gathering a limited group of 1,333 Patrons of Local Music, each of whom will make a $1,500 annual contribution. At capacity, these contributions will create an annual pool of $2,000,000 that will fund grants, performances and operations while building an institutional endowment that will fund growth in future grants. Those who wish to become a member of Black Fret may sign up here: Join Black Fret. All memberships provide entry for the member and a guest to bimonthly events and the annual Black Ball gala, which will be held this year on December 10th. For inquiries, please email sustain@blackfret.org and for more info see www.blackfret.org.

“We are so excited to see the artists our Members, Advisory Board Members and last year’s Black Fret Grant Recipients have chosen as our 2016 Nominees,” said Matt Ott, Black Fret Co-Founder. “The depth of talent in our city is incredible. And our success so far shows what is possible when music fans, music professionals and our great musicians join forces to support the music that helps define our city.”

Founded in 2013, Black Fret is a public charity headquartered in Austin whose mission is to empower musicians to create and perform great new music. The organization is an innovative evolution of the age-old symphony patronage model that is focused on supporting popular local music. Together, Black Fret’s limited membership will build an endowed institution capable of sustaining more than a million dollars a year in grants to Austin’s artists. Annual Black Fret member dues are $1,500, breaking down to about $100 a month after taxes. Many members have access to a corporate charitable giving match program (such as offered by Dell, Apple and other major employers) that can reduce the monthly cost to less than $50 a month. In return for annual dues, members are rewarded with unprecedented personal access to the city’s top artists through a broad range of private events including monthly shows in intimate venues and homes as well as the annual gala event named “The Black Ball.” Grant recipients are selected annually through a yearlong process where members, advisors and prior grant recipients nominate, lobby for, see performances by and finally vote on their favorite artists. Those who wish to become a member of Black Fret can sign up here Join Black Fret. All memberships provide entry for the member and a guest to all upcoming 2016 Black Fret events, including the Black Ball. For inquiries, please email sustain@blackfret.org and for more info see www.blackfret.org.